The Internet has become a fundamental part of our economic and social infrastructure. In this context, information and communication technology (ICT) policy should become a mainstream element of economic policy. An international and multi-stakeholder approach is key to developing and effectively putting into practice appropriate policies.

The Ministerial will consider the theme 'Improving Economic Performance and Social Welfare'; on the Internet’s role as a positive agent of change in economic performance, employment, education, health care, the environment and in the delivery of government services. It will also consider the Internet’s role in forging closer global integration of our economies and societies.

As different network platforms (for data, voice and video) converge toward the Internet Protocol, new services and business models are created, along with new opportunities and challenges for ensuring competitive service delivery. The theme on Benefiting from Convergence includes:

Principles for convergence and the transition to next generation high speed networks;

Guidance to help consumers transition to a converged network;

The efforts required by all stakeholders to deploy the newer version of the Internet protocol, IPv6; and

As it becomes a key conduit for economic and social activity, the Internet also attracts fraud and malicious practices of increasing scope and sophistication that threaten consumer and user confidence. The theme on Building Confidence will consider policies for:

To expand the opportunities enabled by the Internet to the next several billion users, there is a need for a better understanding of the key factors in its successful growth, to date, and the challenges for further development. This session will examine policies and practices needed to expand the ability of the Internet to support economic and social development around the world. This includes greater access to ICTs and the capacity building required to take advantage of the opportunities they create for people in developing countries.

"Meeting of Ministers" and "Interactive Panel of Experts" (Parallel sessions)

The session, for Ministers and government officials only, will conclude discussions on the Seoul Declaration on the Future of the Internet Economy.

The interactive panel of experts will focus on future technological development of ICTs and their implications for the Internet Economy over the coming decade. This session is open to all stakeholder communities.